brunch Archives - Foodology

In Brunch

The Parlour: Brunch in Yaletown

July 12, 2020

Yaletown’s favourite pizzeria – The Parlour is now offering brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11am till 3pm. Who can say no to benedict pizzas? We’ve been a big fan of The Parlour for years and the thin crust on their pizzas are so good paired with their delicious toppings.

We were invited to check out their new brunch menu.

Patio

Their patio is open and there are some space to socially distance yourself from others. Definitely the best option is to sit out on the patio for brunch on a nice day.

If its full, there is still lots of indoor seating. There is also a private back room that opens just for weekends.

Classic Eggs Benedict

This comes with 2 poached eggs, black forest ham, tomato sauce, mozza, and hollandaise. The eggs benedict is served on their pizza dough instead of a traditional biscuit or english muffin. A nice twist to showcase their dough.

This dish was very good and not too heavy at all for brunch. It was never greasy either. It is also served with a side of fruit to balance out the meal.

Huevos Benedictinos

The Huevos Benedictinos looks similar to the classic eggs benedict. It has 2 poached eggs, salsa, chorizo, hollandaise, avocado, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. It is served on their famous pizza dough. The combination of the eggs benedict with salsa and avocado worked very well together.

Side of Red Potato Cajun Hash

We ordered the Red Potato Cajun Hash on the side. We loved how its so flavourful and crisp. On the inside, the potatoes were soft and really soaked in all that cajun spice.

Side Andouille Sausage

The sausage was served on the side on its own plate. It has a nice kick of flavour and was firm.

French Toast

The french toast has brioche, cinnamon, bourbon whipped cream, maple syrup and blueberry compote. It’s a big portion, but they also offer half portions as well if you don’t have such a big appetite.

Surprisingly, the dish wasn’t too sweet with the maple syrup.

Blackberry Smash

Brunch isn’t complete without a cocktail in hand. This has muddled blackberries, Hennessy VS, fresh lemon juice, ginger, and honey syrup. It’s a well rounded cocktail and not too strong. Good fruity pairing for brunch.

Final Thoughts

Overall. solid brunch that you can’t go wrong. They do also have their other menu if you want their classic pizzas during brunch. With the Summer weather getting hotter and hotter, the patio is a nice place to be.

Address:
1011 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://theparlourrestaurants.com/

In Brunch

[Sneak Peek] Mother’s Day Brunch at Home by Glowbal

May 5, 2020

A classic tradition in our household is to go get brunch for Mother’s Day as we celebrate around the table stuffing our face full of food. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 Pandemic, we must celebrate a little bit differently this year.

Glowbal has found a way to bring the buffet experience to you. They have created their Mother’s Day Brunch at Home for $60 and it serves 2. My mom loves buffets and is probably obsessed. She’s the types of person that will browse through the buffet slowly and makes sure she tries everything. This usually takes up the entire time limit of our seating. It’s kinda cute.

How to Order

You can pre-order for pick up by Saturday, May 9th by:

Calling 604-602-0835
Emailing info@glowbalgroup.com

They also do delivery via UberEats, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash on Sunday, May 10th.

What’s Included?

Brunch Items

Classic Eggs Benedict with Honey Ham & Hollandaise Sauce
Smoked Salmon Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce
Classic Hash Browns with Parmesan Cheese & Fresh Herbs
Roasted Leek & Fennel Sausage

Carving Station

Carved US Prime Striploin, Crusted with Pommery Mustard & Fresh Herbs
Slow Oven Roasted Porchetta with Fennel Seeds, Roasted Candied Garlic & Honey Rosemary

Lunch Items

Rigatoni Pommodoro with Fresh Basil, Roasted Tomatoes & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Homemade Gnocchi Tossed in Pesto Cream & Sundried Tomatoes

Seafood & Salad Station

Chilled Snow Crab
Poached Tiger Prawns
**Served with Cocktail Sauce & Lemon
Slice of Sockeye Smoked Salmon
Baby Mixed Greens
Quinoa Salad
Pasta Salad

Breakfast Pastry Station

Assorted Loaves & Miniature Muffins
Baby Sugared Donuts
Mini Tiramisu
Mini Assorted Pastries
Chocolate Nibs

Mimosa To Go

They also have Mimosas To Go for $30, which contains a bottle of bubble and orange juice to complete the meal.

Final Thoughts

It’s a great selection of buffet items for 2. You can pop it in the oven or microwave to reheat when it gets home. We found that more than 2 people can enjoy this great Mother’s Day Buffet as not everyone will want a piece of everything. It’s a great price and the quality is there. I personally loved the carving station because I love meat. My mom loved the seafood as per usual.

Definitely pre-order with Glowbal ahead of time to ensure you have your Mother’s Day Buffet for 2 ready.

Address:
590 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.glowbalgroup.com/glowbal/

In Brunch

Ham & Eggman’s: Breakfast and Brunch in Vancouver

March 10, 2020

Ham & Eggman’s serves up breakfast and brunch in Vancouver. They are still fairly new and I’ve been here several times with many of my friends. They have a fun name which was inspired by Doctor Eggman, the arch nemesis of Sonic the Hedgehog.

We were invited for brunch on the weekend and to try an array of items on the menu.

Interior

The interior is simple and there are tables on either side of the restaurant. They can accomodate smaller groups of 2’s and 4’s easily, but if you’re in a large group, you should come earlier to grab the spots.

Kids

They have high chairs available for toddlers.

Oatmeal

The oatmeal on the menu comes in sweet or savoury. I decided to go with sweet since we had a lot of savoury items ordered. I like to order the odd item on the menu just in case its worth getting.

We actually really liked this dish a lot. Even though it is a sweet oatmeal, it wasn’t very sweet at all, which is nice. There’s so much in it that it gives it a lot of texture and body. There’s lots of chopped nuts and fried fruit in this bowl.

Waffles

This has two Belgium waffles with Chantilly cream, rotating confit, maple syrup, and hash browns. This was an ok dish, but it’s so similar to the chicken and waffle…sans chicken. The waffle was ok, but it wasn’t anything special. The best part of this dish was the hash browns as they were very very crispy.

Chicken and Waffles

This has buttermilk marinated boneless fried chicken, waffles, Chantilly cream, bourbon maple syrup, and fresh fruit salad. I enjoy their chicken and its flavourful and crisp on the exterior.

Pork Belly Hash

This dish has crispy pork belly, asian greens, cabbage, shiitake and Kennebec hash browns tossed in gochujang bbq sauce. It is then topped with two poached eggs. I’ve had this dish twice and the first time I did not like it, but it has since improved. The pork belly is tender and love the flavour on it. Some of their pieces were pretty fatty.

The hash browns were very very crispy even though it was covered in sauce.

Mexican Scramble

They have a few varieties of scrambled eggs on the menu, but we went with the Mexican. It has 3 eggs and served with the kennebec hash browns and toast. It also has house made chorizo, fajita peppers, onions, aged cheddar, and then topped with salsa and sour cream. You can choose from multigrain or sourdough bread. It was good, but I would have liked a bit more spice in it.

Wild Mushroom Benefict

The eggs benedict is served on toasted English muffins with poached eggs, house made hollandaise sauce and hash browns. There is a good amount of mixed wild mushrooms and topped with green onions. I’m a sucker for mushrooms, so I really enjoyed this dish.

Lomo Saltado hash

This dish has Peruvian-style marinated steak, fajita peppers and onions, grape tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It is also topped with two poached eggs. This was ok, but I would have liked bigger pieces of steak.

Shakshuka

This dish has Turkish style spiced tomato sauce, poached eggs, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. It is then served with two pieces of toast to dip into the delicious sauce. It was ok.

Final Thoughts

This is my favourite brunch spot in the neighbourhood. Their dishes are very consistent and I’ve only had delicious soft poached eggs. The hash browns are amazing and so addictive. I absolutely love how crisp they are. If you have to get a dish here, make sure hash browns are in it.

The favourites are the eggs benedict, chicken and waffles, pork belly hash and oatmeal.

Address:
3883 Rupert St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.hamandeggmans.com/

In Brunch

Palate Kitchen: Brunch in Downtown Vancouver

February 19, 2020

Palate Kitchen has been created by Pallet Coffee Roasters as a new brunch spot in the Financial District of Downtown Vancouver. You can never have enough brunch spots. Their goal is to pair good coffee with good eats.

I was downtown early in the morning, so I decided to pop in quickly for breakfast.

To Go Bar

In the morning, the to go bar is very popular where people grab a pastry and coffee before heading in to work.

I decided to sit inside to get the full experience.

Interior

This heritage building is stunning with its high ceilings. There are tables on the main floor along with a bar and kitchen.

There is also two elevated dining areas on the second floor, but unfortunately it was closed when we were dining here. I can really seeing it transform into a lovely event space because offices always need a place to hang out after work or for a special event.

Kids

There are high chairs available for kids, but we were unable to find a changing table in the washrooms.

Latte

I started off with a latte as it was fantastic. Perfect ratio of espresso and milk foam. Plus, the latte art was perfect.

Mushroom Toast

The mushroom toast has seasonal sautéed mushrooms, truffled hummus, fine herbs, and mixed greens on sourdough.

For $3 extra, I added a poached egg to it. The poached egg came on a side plate, so that was a bit odd. Even the staff commented how it was strange.

So, this $18 toast was very pricey and I could have gotten a nicer breakfast elsewhere. The wasn’t that much mushroom on the toast as it was hiding under all the greens. The truffled hummus also overpowered the taste.

I was full by the end of the meal, but there wasn’t anything new to this mushroom toast. The egg was poached nicely, so thats a plus.

Final Thoughts

As we only ordered a small amount of items off the menu, it didn’t leave me with a good impression to return. The coffee is fantastic and I’ll be back to Pallet Coffee Roasters, but the toast here is pretty expensive. The value get for the toast isn’t there. Best to stick to the other main dishes or go to the To Go Bar for a coffee and pastry.

Address:
848 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.palatekitchen.com/

In Brunch

Yauti Jr. Food Stall in New Westminster: Review

February 9, 2020

Yauti Jr. Food Stall is located in New Westminster close to a few other popular restaurants. I have been on the hunt for some good hidden gems in the Lower Mainland and Yauti Jr. Food Stall caught my eye for their congee and rice rolls. Their Hong Kong style breakfast and lunch items seemed promising.

Interior

The interior is clean and spacious. There’s nothing up on the walls, so it’s a bit bare and stale. Lots of space for small to large groups.

Kids

They provide high chairs, which is great. We didn’t go to the bathroom, so we don’t know if there is a changing table in there.

Hot HK Style Milk Tea

The milk tea was served luke warm and in paper cups. As we ordered a lot of food to eat at the restaurant, it was weird that it was not in a mug. Looking at their beverage station, there were mugs. Not sure what happened here.

The milk tea is very mediocre.

Sweet Chinese Donut

It’s not often that you find sweet Chinese donut at restaurants. We gave this a try and its not bad. Just get some scissor to cut it up and share with the table.

Salted Chinese Donut

The salted Chinese donut goes great with congee. Just dunk it in the bowl and it’s a great accompaniment.

Crispy Chinese Donut Wrapped with Rice Roll

The portion size was generous. I was thinking it would be half the size. It comes with sauces to dip into. It was decent, not my favourite, but it will do.

Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee

We went with the classic Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee. It has a decent amount of preserved egg and salted pork in it. We were surprised the salted pork was slices rather than ground up pork.

Steamed Fish Sui Mai

I wasn’t a fan of this. It feels like the ones I’ve had frozen from the grocery store. Wouldn’t order this again.

Curry Fish Balls

The curry fish balls were meh. Nothing very excited about this. Wouldn’t order this again.

Final Thoughts

We ordered a lot of items, but nothing really stood out. We were very disappointed from the milk tea and it never really recovered from there. The menu has a lot more items we didn’t try as we stuck to breakfast items.

If we had to come back, I would just get the congee and the salted Chinese donut. They don’t take credit cards but will take Interac.

Address:
609 12th St, New Westminster, BC

In Brunch

Burdock & Co: Award Winning Brunch in Vancouver

September 30, 2019

Burdock & Co. is a great place to have brunch on the weekend with friends. They are a farm to table restaurant using organic BC ingredients. Andrea Carlson puts a lot of love into the dishes she creates. Meats are raised ethically, and they use locally produced ingredients. You’ll notice their dishes are more vegetable forward. If you have dietary instructions, there are vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options.

Since opening its doors, Burdock & Co has collected a number of impressive awards and recognition. Most recently, they have been recognized in 2018 Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, among the top 22 restaurants in British Columbia. They also won the Gold award for “Best Brunch” and “Best West Coast” at the 2018 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.

We were invited for a preview of their signature brunch items.

Brioche special with Peach

This is their grilled Brioche bread served with fresh peaches, yogurt, walnuts, mint and topped with honey. It was a very unique combination, yet all the flavours went very well together. This was a great sharing plate and was offered as a weekend special.

Vegan Avocado Smash

The avocado smash is served with a mix of roasted mushrooms, chili fried broccoli, smashed avocados, cashew curd (a purée of cashews), and you have an option of adding a poached egg.

I loved the addition of the mushrooms and you can really taste the quality and difference in the flavour of the eggs served here.

French Pancake

This was delicious and a great shareable treat for the table. I loved the flavour of this dish. They use seasonal fruit so the fruit used in this dish change from time to time depending on what’s available. This one was made with Corination grapes and topped with cream. It’s not your ordinary pancake. It has a light and moist texture with a maple flavour. Highly recommend.

Gluten Free Scone with Butter and Preserves

The gluten free scones with butter and preserves are a great add on to any dish. The scones are fresh and baked perfectly.

Gluten-Free Eggs Benny

The eggs benny is served with two eggs and topped with a lemon hollandaise. The eggs are on a gluten free scone with roasted potatoes and you can choose either smashed avocado or bacon. The scone was flavourful and baked very freshly. Very enjoyable dish and everything was just so darn fresh.

Rice Congee

This is my kind of comfort food. It is an elevated version of Chinese congee and they have put their own twist to this classic item. They have mushroom XO, salted almond, smoked shoyu, and yuzu kombu.

Crispy Fried Chicken

The fried chicken is served with potato pickle mayo, dill powder, and a poached egg.

Fettucini with Pork and Fennel Ragout

The Fettucini with Pork and Fennel Ragout has shaved anise, and fennel pollen. Ingredients that you wouldn’t normally see in a pasta dish but it works.

Final Thoughts

Overall, you can taste the quality of the ingredients within each of the dishes. We love how they use each of the ingredients to create such amazing, fresh, flavourful dishes. I would highly recommend Burdock and Co I can’t wait to go back, nor can we wait till their cookbook to be released.

If you’re looking for a brunch place to check out in Vancouver, head to Burdock and Co.

Address:
2702 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.burdockandco.com/

In Brunch

[Sneak Peek] Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio: Brunch, Lunch, and much more in Vancouver

August 9, 2019

Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio is releasing their brunch menu and I’m pretty darn excited because this makes having a taste of Ancora more affordable and more people can get a taste of their Japanese and Peruvian inspired dishes.

During brunch hours at both False Creek and Ambleside locations, the lunch menu is also available if you choose to select some other items off that menu.

We were invited to check out the brunch menu and a few other features also available during brunch time.

Interior

We were dining at their Ambleside location and the space is stunning. They were able to take inspiration from fishing nets and other boating object and incorporate it into their space. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

Complimentary bread

I love complimentary bread! This was slices of brioche and focaccia with a hummus spread. It was pretty good and not the usual bread and butter.

[Brunch Menu]

Soft Shell Crab Taco

The soft shell crab taco is topped with mango salsa, harissa emulsion, seaweed, ikura, and micro greens. It sits on top of 2 grilled taco shells and a slice of lime.

I ordered this dish since I love soft shell crab it was good as the harissa emulsion added more depth to the taste of this dish.

Dungeness Crab Benny

The dungeness crab is served with Botanical greens, nori spiced baby potatoes, and a miso hollandaise. The eggs are poached perfectly, so when you cut into the egg, it runs. If you want it to be less runny, you can request it done however you like.

Forbidden Rice Peruvian Paella

One of their specialities at Ancora is paella. This brunch version has black cod croquettes, rocoto aioli and fried egg.

Flank Steak Burger

The burger is cooked medium rare and it also has rocoto aioli, aged cheddar, yucas bravas, and we added a fried egg to it. It’s not brunch without a fried gooey egg. Those yuca fries are so damn good. Super crisp!

[Lunch Menu]

The brunch menu isn’t extensive, but their lunch menu is also available to order from.

Spider Roll

Inside the roll has soft shell crab, masago and asparagus. There are 8 pieces to a roll and good for sharing among the table.

Sashimi

There is fresh sashimi on the table and we go the chef to decide what to add to ours. there is wild salmon and hamachi. Each order comes with 5 pieces each.

Ceviche Mixto

This bowl of delicious ceviche has mussels, scallops, shrimp, crispy squid, seaweed, and yam. I like the different textures of this bowl. There is acidity, there is sweetness and it really compliments the seafood.

Peruvian Style Paella

Their lunch paella is different than the brunch version. This has halibut, chorizo, corn, baby shrimp, and pico de gallo.

Donburi Rice Bowl

This beautiful dish has uni, wild salmon, marinated ikura, sushi rice, and acevichado sauce. There is ginger and wasabi on the side too.

Brussel Sprouts

If you want something extra with your meal, they offer sides. Can’t go wrong with the deep fried Brussel sprouts.

[Dessert]

Spiced Picarones

These are like mini donuts covered in candied pecans, and spiced syrup. Then it is served with lucuma ice cream. A good dessert to share. I loved the combination of spices and its not too sweet.

Suspiro de Chocolata

This has a plate of chocolate pot de creme, mazamorra morada, green apple, sweet cream and lime ice cream. This has mostly a dominate chocolate taste but the hints of apple paired well.

Pineapple and Corn

This has white chocolate mousse, roasted pineapple and corn meringue. Man, this dessert as good. The pineapple was very bright and vibrant. One of my favourite desserts.

The Nikkei

This has passion fruit, blonde chocolate mousse, lucuma, and sesame seeds. This was also really good! The passionfruit was pretty darn good! Another one of my favourite desserts.

Strawberry ‘Tea’

This has a base of cream cheese panna cotta, almond, and irigome hojicha jelly.

It’s the perfect time to get this as strawberries are in season. Sweet and delicious when paired with the panna cotta.

[Drinks]

Mimosa

A classic brunch beverage of champagne and orange juice. It was delicious but it could have used more champagne.

Chicha Morada

This is one of the mocktails and it has steeped purple corn, spices, and lime.

Latte

If you need caffeine like me, I got at latte.

Final Thoughts

The brunch menu is solid, but I do like having the option to choose from the lunch menu too. It definitely opens up more choices for more people to try different things. The dishes are great and I would highly recommend getting dessert.

If you have a big appetite, they also have their Prix-fixe lunch menu launch as well.

Address:
1351 Bellevue Ave, West Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.ancoradining.com/

In Brunch

Yew: Brunch in Downtown Vancouver

August 3, 2019

Who doesn’t love a good brunch. You can now get brunch at Yew Seafood and Bar on the weekends from 11:30am – 2:30pm.

They recently launched their 3 course brunch deal, so you can try more items on the menu. Just add $20 to any brunch entree to receive an appetizer, dessert, and a coffee or juice. That is one awesome deal and you’ll end up feeling stuffed.

Their new revamped menu has a good variety and we were invited to check it out.

Mimosa

Brunch isn’t complete without a mimosa. A mix of freshly squeezed orange juice and champagne definitely gets the weekend started.

Latte

I had to get a latte too because I get very little sleep in between taking care of an infant and of course blogging, so I was in need of some caffeine.

Brioche French Toast

The brioche french toast comes with 3 pieces and topped with charred cinnamon syrup, and candied hazelnuts.

Gluten Free Pancakes

There are 3 pancakes on the plate topped with 70% Chocolate, Banana, and Peanut Butter Powder. A good portion size as an appetizer. I liked the darkness of the chocolate and it pairs so well with banana and the peanut butter powder.

Belgian Waffle

There are 2 cute little waffles with black pepper mascarpone, and cardamom honey candied lemon.

House Made Granola Parfait

This beautiful bowl has a base of Greek yoghurt, seasonal fruit compote, and fresh berries. It’s so good to get this now as raspberry, blueberries, and raspberries are in season. Very filling even though it is an appetizer.

Croque Madame

Between two slices of toast is the shaved ham, gruyere cheese, and topped with more gruyere cheese and a fried egg. It was served with fries to complete this entree. It was cheesy and delicious.

Crab Hash

There are two poached eggs, dungeness crab, roasted potatoes, wilted spinach, charred cherry tomatoes, Nduja, and a Mornay sauce. The egg was poached perfectly and was very soft. You can always request your eggs to be poached well if you don’t like it runny.

Southern Fried Chicken

This is served on a cornbread waffle, maple glaze, smoked onion aioli, and compressed jalapeño. The fried chicken was moist and crisp on the outside and the compressed jalapeño just gives it an added kick to the dish.

Pineapple Carpaccio

This a plate of thinly slices pineapples with crème fraîche sorbet, and caramalized rosemary.

Chocoholic

There is liquid chocolate mousse and Baileys ice cream. It’s like a trio of chocolate on this dish. Great for chocolate lovers and that mousse is pretty amazing.

Hidden Garden

Inside the glass is yogurt panna cotta, green tea sponge, chocolate soil, edible flower, and cherry smoke. This dessert is mesmerizing. There’s definitely a lot going on in this dessert.

YEW Hazelnut Rocher 2.0

This has praline Chocolate Mousse, Liquid Caramel, and Hazelnut Ice Cream Flambé. This dessert is so fun! It is set on fire! The dessert is definitely reminiscent of a Ferrero Rocher.

Final Thoughts

Brunch at Yew was pretty good and the prices are fair. It’s a killer deal that they have for the 3 course brunch and you’ll be leaving stuffed.

Yew has always delivered great meals that are west coast inspired and with lots of variety.

Address:
791 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.yewseafood.com/

In Brunch

Highlight Cafe By Re-UP BBQ: Brunch in New Westminster

July 12, 2019

Highlight Cafe by Re-UP BBQ is located in New Westminster. They specializes in Southern-inspired takes on the classic brunch dishes. It’s the best combination and you can’t go wrong.

Re-Up BBQ was one of the first food trucks in Vancouver serving up delicious BBQ in Downtown. They were around for 3 years until their food truck got hit by a bus. They did end up opening a food stall in the River Market serving up their classic BBQ items. Now, Highlight Cafe is their next venture.

Interior

There is lots of space inside for groups of 2s, 4s or even more if you push some tables together. Sadly they don’t take reservation.

3 Way Biscuit Sliders

The 3 way biscuit sliders is a recommended item. It’s a good way to try three different meats for brunch. As there are 3 sliders, it’s best to share among the table as 3 biscuits is quite a bit to eat.

The Fried Chicken slider was the favourite of the 3. Cooked perfectly with a nice crunch on the outside, while still moist and tender on the inside.

The Beef Brisket slider was good too and had a nice natural taste.

The Pulled Pork slider is seasoned well but was a tad dry. Perhaps it needed a bit more BBQ sauce to moisten it up.

Re-up Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny

The Re-up smoked salmon eggs benny has two soft poached free run eggs on a toasted buttermilk biscuit, smoked salmon, mango, Hollandaise sauce, house spice, and served with hand cut hash browns.

It was the first time seeing mango in a smoked salmon benny but it worked. The sweetness and tang from the mango complimented the hollandaise and the salmon. It all had a nice texture and worked really well together. There was also a good amount of smoked salmon too.

Iced Matcha Latte

The matcha latte was disappointing and was too milky. It needed a lot more match powder in it. From the colour, it looks very milky.

Iced Mocha

The mocha was better but it had a very strong syrup taste to it even when it was mixed up.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was pretty good and there are great twist to brunch classics. The pricing is a little bit higher, but the quality is there. We would definitely come back in the future to get more of their fried chicken.

It’s a good addition to the area and kid friendly too.

Address:
538 6th St, New Westminster, BC

Website:
https://highlightbyreupbbq.com/

In Brunch

Me + Crepe: Chinese Breakfast Crepe, Tea Eggs, and Tofu

July 6, 2019

Me + Crepe is known for their traditional Chinese Breakfast called Jian Bing. They currently have 5 locations Greater Vancouver, so no matter which city you’re in, Me+ Crepe is somewhere close by.

We were invited to the Burnaby location inside the Old Orchard Shopping Centre for lunch.

Interior

The interior has 6 tables and its a good spot for a quick breakfast or lunch if you’re in the area. A lot of people were here for the lunch rush.

Most of the tables have chairs for 2 people. There was only one table for a group of 4.

Soymilk

One of their popular drinks here is their soymilk, which you can order ala carte or as part of the combos. It comes hot or cold, but whichever one you decide, it both tastes delicious and goes well with the Jian Bing. I personally like it cold but my parents liked it hot.

Tea Infused Egg

This also comes with the combo, or you can get it free by checking into Yelp or taking a photo on Instagram or Facebook.

I really enjoyed the eggs and there was a good amount of tea flavour in the eggs. One of the better ones I’ve had so far.

Crepes (Jian Bing)

We ordered a few of the different crepes on the menu.

With more than 23 ingredients that can be customized into each crepe, you can create any crepe and flavour you want (or pick from the menu of specialized crepes. I’m indecisive, so we got 4 of the pre-made ones.

Bing: Origin
Double Down
Lamb Cumin
Peking Duck

We got a mix with the Chinese donut and Fried Fritter. I felt that the fried fritter helped keep the shape of the crepe better as well it was more crispy.

All of them were pretty filling as combos. For the Bing:Origin, I wish I added a few more item inside to make it a bit more filling compared to the other three. Nonetheless, overall delicious.

Tofu ‘Now’

These items are so unique that I’ve never had anything like this in Vancouver. They are served hot and have a lot of flavour from the sauces.

We tried three different options on the menu.

Traditional Tofu ‘Now’
Spicy Tofu ‘Now’
Hot & Sour Tofu ‘Now’
Century Egg Tofu ‘Now’

These are essentially savoury version of tofu pudding. Of the four we tried, I liked the traditional Tofu ‘Now’ with the preserved and fermented veggies. It’s a unique taste and really reminded me of mapo tofu. If you like mapo tofu, you’ll enjoy the Tofu ‘Now’.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were impressed with Me+Crepe. So many options and very customizable to your taste. It’s a quick and casual spot for breakfast or lunch. Highly recommend getting your crepe as a combo.

Address:
#27 4429, Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 2A1

Website:
http://www.meandcrepe.com

In Brunch

El Santo: Brunch in New Westminster

April 25, 2019

El Santo is a contemporary Mexican restaurant in New Westminster. We decided to come here as we needed a family-friendly place to have brunch on the weekend with our friends.

I’ve heard lots about this place and they had OpenTable reservations. With 2 kids with us, we really didn’t want to wait. As we came on a weekend, there were other tables of families too with strollers. That’s our new life now, but glad we don’t have to compromise on taste when it means taking children with us to eat.

Interior

The space is really nice with booth-style seating and then larger tables in the back. The windows are really large so there is a lot of natural light that comes in.

Horchata

This is their house-made rice milk with cinnamon. Beautiful and delicious. Not too sweet at all.

Los Benedictos

They have 2 different types of Egg Benedict on the menu – Costillita Benedict and Verduras Benedict. We ended up getting the Costillita Benedict which has Ancho braised short rib, skillet corn bread, poached eggs, and a chipotle hollandaise.

This benedict doesn’t look like much but it’s packed with so much depth of flavour. It was pretty darn good.

Chilaquiles de Conchino

This is essentially Mexican Nachos. It has confit pork belly, salsa verde, Cotija, and deep-fried chips. It’s more of a share dish rather than a meal for one person. The cotija is mild in taste which pairs with the bacon.

Huevos D I Vorciados

This has fried eggs, tortillas, refried beans, avocado, salsa roja, and salsa verde. Saucy and delicious.

Chamorro

This has Chili braised ham hock and rice. This was huge portion of meat as the ham hock can really serve a few people. It was so tender and flavourful! the sauce went so well with the rice. Highly recommended,

Churros

The churros are dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Then paired with a dulce de leche dip. The churros were coated with so much sugar that it was overwhelming. We had to shake off the sugar.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the dishes we had were delicious and flavourful. They really take care in creating beautiful flavour profiles in their meats. The churros could have been a bit better with less sugar.

Address:
680 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://elsanto.ca

In Brunch

Cafe Sweets & Beans: Brunch in Burnaby South

February 28, 2019

Cafe Sweet & Beans is located in South Burnaby right under Sushi Oyama. They are a full-service restaurant offering a delicious menu with drinks, savoury and sweet dishes, as well as desserts.

We were invited to check out a few of their specials and enjoy brunch during the long weekend.

Interior

The interior is a good size and we did observe families having brunch here as well as lots of people on their laptops studying. A good mix of both I suppose, but either way, it’s pretty bumping in here.

You order at the counter and then find a seat to sit down.

Chicken Tower

The leaning tower is made of chicken wings of at least 6 pieces and they were pretty big as well. It’s a popular item to order and is coated with their spices with a tiny hint of spice.

They have this on special for Wing Wednesdays for $9.99 with purchase of a beverage. It’s originally on the menu for $13.

Belly Benny

This isn’t your typical eggs benedict. It’s more open-faced and kinda deconstructed around the plate. There are big cubes of pork belly, onion jam, raisin jam, hollandaise, sourdough bread, poached egg, arugula, cauliflower puree, and parmigiano cheese.

There’s definitely a lot going on in this plate, so it was hard to figure out where to start. Just dig in! Nonetheless, the dish was very delicious and the flavours did go well together.

Strawberry and Mango Lava Bread

There are a few different versions of the Lava bread like banana and Injeolmi. Injeolmi seemed to be pretty popular compared to all the flavours, but we went with Strawberry and Mango. The dessert is filling and can easily be shared among the table. We found it was a little heavy on the syrup on the bread but other than that, the fruits had a tasty glaze on it.

Mango Smoothie

The mango smoothie was half sweet and it’s a nice option for those who want their beverages less sugary. It was good and refreshing.

Matcha Latte

We got this in a large size with half sweet and it was a decent standard matcha latte. Nothing fancy.

Final Thoughts

Cafe Sweet & Beans has a lot of items on the menu that will cater to those who want a full meal or just want a drink to hang out with friends. It’s a good space to just chill, study, or have a meeting. It’s a much needed addition in this neighbourhood.

Address:
5152 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.cafesweetsnbeans.com

In Brunch

PIVA Modern Italian: Brunch in New Westminster

February 1, 2019

PIVA Modern Italian is a stylish contemporary Italian restaurant in New Westminster in the Anvil Centre. It is in a great location right in the heart of Downtown New Westminster.

I was browsing where to go for brunch with my family and saw that their brunch items looked pretty darn good. I made reservations online a day before and it wasn’t too busy at all.

Interior

The interior is very nice with a lot of natural light and ornate fixtures. The high ceilings make this place very spacious. It’s great to celebrate a variety of occasions here.

Brunch Menu

Drinks

There are lots of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options on the menu for brunch depending on what you feel like. Most of the family went with coffee or water.

Mushroom Pizza

This pizza has wild mushrooms, cauliflower purée, fontina, fried sage, and aromatic truffle oil. It was a pretty well made pizza and very fragrant. Tasted good too. The fried sage was crisp and added a nice flavour.

Eggs Benedict

The classic egg benedict is served with 2 eggs, prosciutto, hollandaise and arugula over focaccia. It also has ketchup and crisp potatoes on the side. Highly recommend this with soft poached eggs.

Eggplant Sandwich

This hefty sandwich has fried eggplant, spinach, artichoke, tomato, caramelized onion, capers, aioli, and gorgonzola. My mom got fries on the side. If you want to be healthier, you can get salad. Surprisingly the sandwich is pretty good even though its meatless.

For Nonno Pasta

The pasta comes in half sizes or full sizes, which is a nice option depending on how hungry you are. We went with half size and it was good for brunch time. The For Nonno pasta has lots of spice, garlic, chicken, Italian parsley, tomato, black bean, olive oil, and spaghetti.

Yogurt

This beautiful yogurt has unsweetened yogurt, honey, house-made granola, and seasonal fruit like black berries, raspberries and gooseberry. I was pretty impressed with this brunch item as it is elegantly presented and very filling.

Fried Chicken & Waffles

The fried chicken is coated in Italian spices as served with chili aioli, house-made waffles, maple syrup and waffles.

A good size for brunch and it was delicious. Moist chicken and good texture for the waffles.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I love this new addition to New Westminster for brunch. Not too many options in the area, but it’s great there is a new one. Highly recommended!

Address:
787 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC

Website:
https://pivarestaurant.ca

In Brunch

Botanist Restaurant: Morning Breakfast at Fairmont Pacific Rim

January 1, 2019

The Botanist serves up breakfast daily 7 days a week. Since my friend was visiting from out of town, we decided to come here for breakfast on the weekend to catch up. It’s a great place to hang out as the space is very beautiful. The food and service is always on point. Since it is located in the Fairmont Pacific Rim, prices are higher, so most people come here for special occasions.

Interior

We got seated in The Garden near the front of the restaurant by the bar. If you love foliage, this may just be for you. We found some tables are very small, so some of our dishes were hanging off the table. The other areas of the restaurants have larger tables.

Breakfast Menu

sYou can choose item on the menu a la carte or you can get it with fresh-squeezed juice and pressed coffee or tea – thus The Pantry and The Kitchen options with the higher price.

French-Press Coffee

The Fresh-Press containers are quite cute and it comes with some milk and sugar on the side too. It’s quite a lot of coffee too.

Fresh Pressed Juice

They have a variety of Fresh-Pressed Juices like apple, orange, pineapple, cranberry or grapefruit. You can also choose their antioxidant juice too.

I went with the antioxidant juice as it has more greens in the juice. It was good and finished the meal off on a sweet note.

Peameal Benedict

There is a slice of house-made peameal bacon, hollandaise sauce, crispy potatoes and a grilled tomato. My friends enjoyed this dish. The potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Eggs were poached perfectly too.

Botanist Benedict

This has crab, avocado, hollandaise sauce, crispy potatoes and a roasted tomato. I got the eggs to be soft poached and it came out perfect. The avocado was creamy and the crab was sweet.

Brioche French Toast

For those with a sweet tooth, the Brioche French Toast is great. It has dulce de leche sauce, caramelized banana, and amaranth. Not too sweet but had a good balance.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a good breakfast with the ladies. The food was good and service was great as well. If you’re looking for a nice place to have breakfast with friends or family, definitely check out Botanist Restaurant inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim for a good time.

Address:
1038 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.botanistrestaurant.com/

In Brunch

Spade Coffee: Brunch in Vancouver

December 10, 2018

Spade Coffee in Vancouver serves up brunch all week long on Commercial Drive. It’s a cozy cafe serving up coffee, spirits, treats and small plates. If you want a cocktail and croissant, you can do that too. It is owned by Sammy Piccolo, an award winning Barista and the owner of Prado Café.

What differentiates Spade Coffee is their freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

There are long communal tables as well as smaller ones throughout the cafe. It’s a chill spot and there are people catching up, people on their computers, and people who are just chilling over a coffee and book.

Brunch Menu

Latte

Coffee is a must here since they have some great beans and talented baristas to craft up your drink.

Breakfast Bowl

The Breakfast Bowl has arugula, seeds, house pickles, marinated artichokes, roasted red pepper, two poached eggs, and prosciutto.

It was simple, light and one of the only options that has minimal carbohydrates on the menu. Since my doctor put me on a strict diet, I love how there are options on the menu.

The yolks were poached perfectly so it oozed with grace.

Meat Breakfast Sammy

The meat breakfast sammy has a poached egg, prosciutto, aged cheddar, onion jam, green mayo, and greens on a brioche bun.

A solid choice to pair with coffee and tasted good.

Final Thoughts

A quick brunch for the 2 of us Spade Coffee on Commercial Drive. The atmosphere is chill, so its very casual and a great space to catch up with friends over brunch and coffee.

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca

In Brunch

Huevos Dias is Fayuca’s new brunch menu

November 6, 2018

I thought Yaletown’s Hamilton street would be bustling on a weekend brunch hour. Instead, it was quiet and empty. Early morning yoga, barre and spin cyclists silently stream out of the studios after their classes. A brunch spot is needed for this area and Fayuca is stepping up!

Huevos Dias is Fayuca’s brunch menu served every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.

Juices

Fayuca has a great selection of brunch cocktails, but we opted to try their non-alcoholic drinks. Jugo Verde was refreshing and tasted very healthy. It has cactus, parsley, celery, pineapple and orange. Licuado is whole milk blended with fruit and cardamom which was very tasty.

The Food

Chilaquiles

Crispy tortillas in salsa verde, two fried eggs, beans, onion, creme fraiche, avocado and feta cheese. These are breakfast nachos with an egg on top (which makes everything better)! This would be good to share with the table, to pick at as you drink and chat. Or eat it by yourself because it’s a mix of everything you love in one bowl.

Mexican Benny (Benny Mexicano)

I needed to try their take on the classic eggs benedict. Benny Mexicano features two poached eggs on crispy corn sopes with pork carnitas and hollandaise.

The corn sopes has more bite and texture than your typical english muffin, but it’s not dry because of the rich blend of hollandaise, avocado and yolk slathered on top. The toasted pumpkin seeds impart a nice nutty flavour.

It’s served with a salad with a tart dressing which help cuts through the rich flavours from the benny.

Birria “Hangover Stew”

Jalisco, Mexico is known for tequila and for birria stew. Putting these two concepts together is perfect, because this makes for a really good hangover cure.

Fayuca’s Birria is a traditional spicy brisket stew with crispy tortilla, onion, cilantro and limes. Squeeze a healthy dose of lime juice and sprinkle the crispy tortilla on top for a filling, savoury meal. This stew would be good any time of the day, especially while it’s dreary and raining.

Final Thoughts

Part of the immigrant experience is recreating your beloved foods using ingredients that are available in your new home country. Beyond the taste, food is tied closely to memories, culture and identity. Fayuca applies the same approach in their brunch menu. The food draws upon their childhood memories from Northern Mexico—the gatherings, the fun and the flavours—and expresses them through Pacific Northwest ingredients. I really love this concept and it’s so well executed.

The Yaletown restaurant strip on Hamilton is oddly devoid of early weekend brunch spots and Fayuca is filling that need. If you’re hungry after your morning exercise or if you’re rolling out of bed after a hard night out, indulging on filling and flavourful brunch at Fayuca is a solid choice.

Address:
1009 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.fayuca.ca/

In Brunch

Sweetery Café + Dessert: Brunch on the Weekends

October 14, 2018

The Sweetery Café + Dessert is located in Vancouver near the Cambie and Olympic Village area on W 2nd Avenue. They have been around serving up delicious breakfasts and lunches in the neighbourhood for some time now. A favourite local spot for brunch and to indulge in egg bennies and chicken and waffles. They are now open on the weekends for brunch.

Interior

There is a lot of seating inside and you can put in your order up at the counter and pay. Then you can find a seat in the seating area.

Belgium Waffles

They make fresh Belgium Waffles to order and you can choose them with different toppings like bacon, sausage, or fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Depending on if you like savoury or sweet, you have the choice to decide what suits your taste buds.

Chicken and Waffles

The classic chicken and waffles on their menu has their Belgium waffles, Sweetery-style fried chicken, chilli maple butter, bacon, hash, and maple syrup.

This is one of their most popular items on the menu.

Crab Cake Benny

The Crab Cake Benny has poached eggs, chili cream cheese, hollandaise, mixed greens, and hash.

The egg was beautifully poached and oozed as it was cut.

Smoked Turkey Benny

They have specials on their menu and while we were here, it was near Thanksgiving, so they created the Smoked Turkey Benny with poached eggs, turkey, peppercorn gravy, cranberry, and chutney. It is served with smash potatoes and fresh fruit on the side.

Jersey City Burger

They have partnered up with Relish Gourmet Burgers to add some of their burger items to the menu. The Jersey City burger has fried field mushrooms, pickled peppers, pancetta bacon, and provolone cheese. We had the side of sweet potato fries, which are $4.25 extra.

The burger was ok, but it could have a bit more charbroiled taste to it.

Honey Dijon Beef Baguette

There are sandwiches on the menu too if you aren’t too into brunch items. This item is panini grilled, so you get a hot toasty sandwich with a crisp exterior.

Homemade Baked Goods

There are a lot of home made baked goods, so if you want a sweet snack with a drink, they have that too.

Berry Chia Pudding

Got some dietary restrictions? They have gluten-free and vegan options on the menu and one of them is their chia seed puddings.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As it is October, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and you can purchase a pink ribbon with a $2 donations. Also, every pink item sold, they will be donating $1.

Final Thoughts

They have an extensive list of menu items, which everything is made in-house. From pastries to burgers, the taste of the items we tried were decent. Nothing really stood out, but there are a lot of items to choose from.

Address:
340 W 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.sweeterycafe.com/

In American

The Boon Fly Cafe: Breakfast in Napa Valley

September 10, 2018

When we were in Napa Valley, we decided to head over to The Boon Fly Cafe for breakfast. For a Friday, this place was very busy. We waited quite a while and was the last group to be seated for the breakfast menu. We were glad we just squeezed in because we were here specifically for breakfast.

They do offer complimentary water and hot coffee outside as you wait. A nice touch!

Interior

There are a good amount of seats inside for small to large groups. If you have a larger group, best to come early. They only do reservations for dinner. Other wise, it’s first come first serve.

Boon Fly Donuts

Their mini donuts are made fresh with sugar covering each piece. You get 13 pieces per order. It’s soft in texture and light. When it arrives at the table, eat it right away so you can enjoy them hot and fresh.

The pieces at the bottom of the bucket were coated in a lot of sugar, so they were more sweet.

Boon Fly Chicken & Waffle

This is made using Mary’s free range chicken, malt waffle pepper jam, maple syrup, and whipped brown butter. A deliciously crisp waffle with 3 pieces of fried chicken. Depending on the piece of the chicken, it could be dry or juicy. Pieces like the breast with white meat tend to be more dry.

Green Eggs and Ham

We ordered this because of the name, plus it reminds us of Dr Seuss. This has poached farm fresh eggs wrapped in honey-cured ham, lemon leek-cream, on crispy hash browns. A creative dish that also tasted good.

Boon Fly Benedict

This dish uses Sweet Pea Bake Shop’s fresh English muffin, thinly sliced honey-cured ham, poached eggs, Jalapeño hollandaise, and crispy hash browns. One of the eggs were poached soft and the other one was more of a medium. The hashbrowns are pretty darn tasty.

Corned Beef Hash

This has house-made corned beef, crispy hash browns, spinach, grilled onions, poached eggs, and Jalapeño hollandaise. I asked the staff for a recommendation on the menu and they said their favourite dish was the corned beef hash, so I had to get it. It was really good and you can tell the quality of the corned beef was very high. The eggs were both soft poached perfectly and the hollandaise was delicious.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the breakfast here was delicious and the staff were very friendly. The dishes we ordered were a bit more on the heavy side, but they do have lighter and healthier items on the menu too.

Website:
http://www.boonflycafe.com/

Address:
4048 Sonoma Hwy, Napa